Healthy Grocery List for Liver Lovers

If possible try to buy produce that is –
Fresh and/or in season
Free of added sugar (read the ingredients on the label). Avoid foods containing high fructose corn syrup.
Free of hydrogenated vegetable oils and/or trans-fatty acids
Free of the artificial sweetener aspartame
Free of chemical preservatives

All of the above is not always possible, so do the best you can! Your local health food store will be a good source of information in these matters.

Liver friendly foods

Raw and cooked vegetables of all varieties.
Vegetables that are highly liver cleansing are high in the mineral sulphur; these include cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy) and garlic, leeks, radishes, shallots, kale and onions.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, which contains healing phytonutrients such as indoles, thiols, and sulphur compounds, which enhance the detoxification pathways.

Sulphur is needed by the liver detoxification pathways. Vegetables high in sulphur help the liver to break down fats and pump them out of the body via the bile.
Fruits and vegetables with deep bright pigments such as orange, yellow, red, purple and green colours are very liver cleansing (eg. carrots, pumpkin, citrus fruits, purple cabbage, beetroot, red, yellow and green capsicums (bell peppers), cherries, plums etc - these pigments and phyto-chemicals are powerful healing antioxidants for the liver. Over a period of a week you should aim to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables so that you “eat the rainbow”.
Alfalfa, barley leaf, wheat grass, kale and spinach and indeed any dark green coloured vegetables can be eaten or juiced, or taken in powder form, to give your liver a boost of chlorophyll, which is the green pigment that gives plants their colour; chlorophyll acts as both a liver tonic and a liver cleanser.
Avocados and olives provide healthy fatty acids for the liver, so include them regularly in your diet.

Raw fruits of all varieties. The best fruits for the liver are those that have a tart taste because they contain organic acids; these organic acids will lower blood levels of sugar and insulin and help you to burn fat. They also help to cleanse the liver. Fruits that have a tart taste include all types of citrus fruits, all types of berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc), cherries, kiwi fruit, persimmons and stone fruits. If you are trying to lose weight, avoid or go very easy on the bananas, mangoes and grapes. Dried fruits are delicious and generally healthy; however they are much higher in carbohydrate, so if you are trying to lose weight, go easy on the dried fruits.

Sea weeds or sea vegetables are very healthy and are eaten in huge amounts by some Asian cultures. The culinary varieties include arame, wakame, nori, dulse and kombu. Seaweeds are high in health-promoting minerals and they also help to chelate (bind with) and remove toxins and heavy metals from the bowels.

Nuts of all varieties provided they are fresh – meaning unroasted and unsalted. Examples are almonds, macadamias, pistachio, cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts.

Seeds such as flaxseed (linseeds), sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds.

Legumes - these consist of beans of all varieties, lentils and chickpeas. These can be eaten cooked in soups, stir fries or salads or sprouted.

Sprouts – such as alfalfa, mung bean, wheat grass, barley grass etc are a good source of protein and chlorophyll which is liver cleansing.

Spreads for breads/biscuits- hummus, tahini, nut spreads (Brazil, almond, cashew, natural peanut paste etc), fresh avocado, pesto sauce, Baba ganoush, salsa, tomato paste, olive paste and aioli. Make sure that the spreads you buy do not contain hydrogenated vegetable oils or sugar. Butter is much healthier than margarine, but it should only be used as a special treat and must be very fresh, as rancid butter is oxidized and is bad for the liver.

Vinegars – the best of all is apple cider vinegar, other healthy vinegars are red wine, balsamic and sherry vinegar.

Beverages: unsweetened soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, canned coconut milk (needs diluting with water), water (filtered or purified), freshly made vegetable juices, or canned tomato juice with no added sugar, tea (regular, green or herbal). Coffee is allowed as it comes from a natural source – the coffee bean. Ground unprocessed coffee is much healthier than instant coffee. Do not drink more than 2 to 3 cups a day, as there are substances in coffee (especially the caffeine) which over stimulate the step one detox pathway in the liver.

Sweeteners – the naturally sweet herb stevia is the best sweetener of all and is 300 times sweeter than sugar; thus only tiny amounts are needed. Stevia has zero calories and has no effect upon blood sugar levels. Stevia extract is available in the form of powder, tablets and drops from your local health food store. You can also grow your own stevia plant and use the leaves to sweeten dishes and drinks. Sugar alcohols such as Xylitol are better than sugar, as they have fewer calories than sugar and less effect upon blood sugar levels. Stevia and/or sugar alcohols can be used in tea and coffee and in cooking in preference to sugar.

In general in those with a fatty liver it is best to minimize the use of foods that are made from grains, especially if the grains are combined with sugar and/or hydrogenated vegetable oils.
In my patients with a very fatty liver and/or type 2 diabetes, I find it is essential that they avoid ALL GRAINS AND SUGAR until their problem is under control; this may vary from 3 months to 6 months. In those who find that their weight will not budge an ounce, it is also effective to choose a grain free and sugar free diet for at least 3 months.

In those who find it impossible to lose weight the elimination of ALL grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice, corn) and their products, often make it possible to kick start the fat-burning process. In my type 2 diabetic patients I have found that the total elimination of all grains and sugar from the diet may reverse the diabetes.
But if you do want to eat some foods containing grains and/or flour these types are the best:
Grains - buckwheat, rye, barley, oats, quinoa, amaranth
Flour – buckwheat, soy, quinoa, pea
Breads - whole-grain, multi-grain, stone ground, pita, sourdough
Biscuits - crisp breads and crackers made from whole-grains; they must be free of hydrogenated vegetable oils and sugar.

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19 Comments

stepfon fletcher

February 11, 2019 at 10:22 am

So because I have a fatty liver I shouldn’t eat whole wheat pasta or bread but only grain is this correct.

Jessah

February 11, 2019 at 8:04 pm

Hi Stepfon,

If you have a very fatty liver or type 2 diabetes or find it very difficult to lose weight we recommend excluding ALL grains.
But if you do want to eat some foods containing grains and/or flour these types are the best:
Grains - buckwheat, rye, barley, oats, quinoa, amaranth
Flour – buckwheat, soy, quinoa, pea
Breads - whole-grain, multi-grain, stone ground, pita, sourdough
Biscuits - crisp breads and crackers made from whole-grains; they must be free of hydrogenated vegetable oils and sugar.

Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritionist for Liverdoctor.com

Lucy Soans

July 19, 2017 at 6:16 pm

I have been diagnosed with cirrhosis following a difficult period in my life. Now sober and compensated, trying to rebuild my strength through diet and exercise and 800mg daily silymirin ( legalon style product..I use whey protein powder, natural yoghurt and frozen berries and milk BCAA plus plus extra leucine.., 400mg SAMe, 600mg NAC, amongst the usual medications ( vitamins, spirolactone 100mg )I'm trying to rebuild..my diet is full of fresh fruit and veg, thinking of getting a #supergreens# style powder for my protein/berry shakes.. it's a long shot but can you think of anything else??? My hepatologist is very difficult to see and I'm doing my own research, have I gone far wrong??? Help please!

Jessah

July 19, 2017 at 6:58 pm

Hi Lucy,

We recommend you eliminate grains, sugar, processed food and takeout meals.
There is some dietary information in this article: https://www.liverdoctor.com/cirrhosis-what-you-need-to-know/
There is great information in Dr Cabot's book 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It'.
Dr Cabot recommends you also take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
MSM Plus Vitamin C 1/2 tsp twice daily in a glass of water, to reduce inflammation and improve your liver detoxification pathways to get rid of toxins.
These supplements can be purchased here: https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.

Thanks, this list is awesome!
My wife was cooking my vegetables in Coconut Oil (not sure if it is Virgin)? Is that ok. I asked her to stopping using the Olive Oil cause I thought it might have been giving me a bad reaction. We also tried Organic Sunflower Seed Oil...that gave me pain in my stomach all night. I'll have to go to a health store to see what else they offer...I'm new at this and really having trouble keeping up with reading the labels. I always tend to miss something.

Jessah

July 19, 2017 at 5:18 pm

Hi Michael,

Good oils to use are coconut oil, olive oil, hemp seed oil, flax seed oil and macadamia nut oil.
Please let us know if you require any further information.

My Dr said to try to steer away from coconut oil and use extra virgin olive oil. My case is different probably..I just have fatty liver but after my dietitian i found out a lot about what to eat and not to eat.

Jessah

September 26, 2017 at 4:49 pm

Hi Amanda,

Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are excellent source of essential fatty acids.
There is an excellent eating plan in Dr Cabot's book 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It'.
To reverse fatty liver, we recommend you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
These supplements can be purchased here: https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.

I have just been diagnosed with fatty liver. I normally eat 5 oz of plain non fat Greek yogurt with blueberries and chia seeds for breakfast, should I discontinue this or is it ok.

Jessah

July 19, 2017 at 5:15 pm

Hi Joann,

5 oz of yoghurt is quite a large amount, and dairy is mucous forming and can exacerbate fatty liver.
Perhaps replace the Greek yoghurt with coconut yoghurt.
We recommend you eliminate grains, sugar, processed food and takeout meals.
There is some dietary information in this article: https://www.liverdoctor.com/what-should-you-eat-if-you-have-fatty-liver/
There is an excellent dietary plan and further info in Dr Cabot's book 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It'.
To reverse fatty liver, Dr Cabot recommends you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
These supplements can be purchased here: https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.

I have been told I have diverticulosis and fatty liver. I don't know what to eat, because some of the things to eat I am to avoid for the other. No matter how much I have cut back, I seem to not lose any weight. Could you please help?

Jessah

July 16, 2017 at 5:44 pm

Hi Tricia,

We recommend you read this article for info on diverticulitis: https://www.liverdoctor.com/what-really-causes-diverticulitis/
We recommend you read this article for further information on fatty liver: https://www.liverdoctor.com/5-ways-to-reverse-fatty-liver/
We recommend you eliminate grains, sugar, processed food and takeout meals.
There is an excellent eating plan in Dr Cabot's book: 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It' or 'Healthy Bowel, Healthy Body'.
You would benefit from taking a probiotic or consuming fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso to restore your gut microbiome.
Dr Cabot recommends you take
Intestinal Parasite Cleanse start with 1 cap three times daily and after two weeks increase to 2 caps three times daily for up to two months and then discontinue use. Is a powerful formula for keeping your insides clean and eliminating any bad bugs or parasites.
Glutamine 1 tsp twice daily to reduce inflammation in your intestinal tract and heal and seal the gut lining.
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
These supplements can be purchased here: https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.

This is great information. I don't see anything about dairy products, should cheese, yogurt, etc. be avoided?

Jessah

June 25, 2017 at 5:02 pm

Hi Cindy,

Dairy products should not be eaten in excess.
The best dairy sources are full fat yoghurt for probiotics and cheese for dietary fat.
Dairy is mucous forming, which is why dairy products are often avoided during a detox.

Best information that I have found yet. Thank you!!!!! I have a fatty liver issue and spent days looking for a clear explanation of what can or not be eaten.

Amanda

September 26, 2017 at 8:53 am

I went to see a dietitian yesterday and was told to avoid yogurts that i have over 2% MF and with cheese to avoid ones that are over 20%MF. I was also told to try to avoid red meats (pork/porc) is a red meat also. Chicken, turkey and fish were mentioned to be very good for someone with fatty liver.

Jessah

June 18, 2017 at 7:28 pm

Hi Kristine,

So glad our information has helped you.
Please let us know if you require any further information.